In a very distant past, ten suns had risen together into the skies and scorched the Earth, thus causing hardship for the people.
The archer Hou Yi shot down nine of them, leaving just one Sun, and was given the elixir of immortality as a reward. He did not consume it straight away, but let his wife Chang'e keep it with her, as he did not want to gain immortality without her.
However, while Yi went out hunting, his apprentice Fengmeng broke into his house and tried to force Chang'E to give him the elixir; she refused and to prevent him from getting it, drank it herself. Chang'e then flew upward toward the heavens, choosing the Moon as residence, as she loved her husband and hoped to live nearby him.